The short answer to “is there an inheritance tax in Canada?” surprises people who have read about the U.K. or U.S. systems: Canada does not tax heirs. What it does is tax the person who died, one last time, on a final return that treats their investments and property as sold at death. Provinces then charge a separate fee if the will goes through probate.
This page walks through how that works using the CRA’s “Doing taxes for someone who died” pages, the CRA’s TFSA and capital gains pages, and the official probate pages of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. It is education, not legal, tax or financial advice. Estates vary a lot, and the executor should confirm the details with the CRA (the legal representative can use Represent a Client or call the CRA) and, for larger or cross-border estates, a lawyer or accountant.
Is there an inheritance tax in Canada?
No. There is no federal or provincial inheritance tax, and no estate tax in the U.S. sense. The CRA lists “most gifts and inheritances” among amounts you do not report or pay tax on. If a parent leaves you cash, a house or a portfolio, the value you receive is not income on your return.
The tax happens earlier, inside the estate:
- The final return. A final T1 return must be filed for every person who dies. It reports income up to the date of death, plus the increase in value of property, investments and belongings.
- The deemed disposition. At death, a person is considered to have sold all their capital property at fair market value, even though nothing was sold. That creates capital gains (or losses) on the final return.
- Registered plans. The full value of an RRSP or RRIF is generally income on the final return. A TFSA adds nothing.
- The estate’s own return. Income the estate earns after the death, such as interest on the money waiting to be distributed, is reported on a T3 trust return.
- Probate fees. Separately from income tax, most provinces charge a fee when a court confirms the executor’s authority.
The estate pays these bills from its assets before the executor distributes what is left. That is why an inheritance can be smaller than the gross value of the estate, even though no “inheritance tax” was charged.
What happens to each type of asset when someone dies?
The tax result depends on the kind of asset and on who receives it. A spouse or common-law partner can usually take over property and registered plans with no immediate tax; everyone else inherits after the final return has taxed the built-up gain.
How to read this table: Find the asset in the first column. The second column is what the final return reports when the asset goes to anyone other than a spouse. 'Spouse' includes a common-law partner and, for capital property, a qualifying spousal trust. The last column is what the heir receives.
| Asset | On the final return | If it goes to a spouse | For other heirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash, bank accounts, GICs | No gain; interest earned to the date of death is income on the final return | Same | Receives the money tax-free; interest after death is taxed to the estate or beneficiary |
| Non-registered stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, crypto | Deemed sold at fair market value; capital gain or loss on the final return | Rolls over at cost if it vests in the spouse within 36 months (no gain until the spouse sells) | Inherits at fair market value on the date of death as the new cost |
| Principal residence | Deemed sold at fair market value, but the gain can be sheltered by the principal residence designation (Form T1255) | No designation or gain needed on the final return | Inherits at fair market value; a later gain is theirs unless it becomes their own principal residence |
| Cottage, rental or other real estate | Deemed sold at fair market value; capital gain (plus recapture on rental buildings) on the final return | Rolls over at cost if it vests within 36 months | Inherits at fair market value as the new cost |
| RRSP (not yet matured) | Full fair market value is income on the final return | Can transfer to the spouse's RRSP or RRIF by the end of the year after death; the spouse reports and deducts it | Receives the money; the tax usually falls on the estate's final return |
| RRIF | Full fair market value is income on the final return | Continues if the spouse is successor annuitant, or transfers by the end of the year after death | Receives the money; the tax usually falls on the estate's final return |
| TFSA | Nothing reported on the final return | Successor holder takes over the TFSA, still tax-sheltered (not recognized in Quebec) | Date-of-death value is tax-free; earnings after death are taxable |
| Personal belongings, jewellery, art | Deemed sold at fair market value; gains on personal-use and listed personal property are reported | Rolls over at cost if it vests within 36 months | Inherits at fair market value as the new cost |
Source: Amounts that are not reported or taxed — Canada.ca; Amounts that are not reported or taxed — Canada.ca (income earned afterwards); What returns you need to file — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; What returns you need to file — Canada.ca (T3 return for the estate); What returns you need to file — Canada.ca (optional returns); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (deemed disposition); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (spousal rollover, 36 months); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (principal residence); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (net capital losses in the final return); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (sale by a beneficiary); Special rules and other transactions — Canada.ca (property you inherit); Special rules and other transactions — Canada.ca (property you receive as a gift); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (gifts); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (gifts to a spouse); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (attribution on a spouse's sale); Filing and payment due dates — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (final return); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (death in November or December); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (self-employed); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (T3 return); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (previous year's return not yet filed); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (late-filing penalty); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (graduated rate estate); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (deferring payment); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (unmatured RRSP); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (spouse rollover); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (RDSP rollover); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (Home Buyers' Plan balance); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (spousal RRSP contributions after death); RRIF — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; RRIF — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (successor annuitant); TFSA — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca; If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (contribution room); If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (Quebec); If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (excess amount tax); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (tax-free up to FMV); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (earnings after death); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (exempt contribution); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (non-survivor beneficiaries); What happens when a TFSA holder dies — Canada.ca (no beneficiary); Doing taxes for someone who died — Canada.ca (CPP/QPP death benefit); Death benefits — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (employer death benefit exemption); Death benefits — Canada.ca (CPP death benefit not on the final return); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (why); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (processing times); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (acknowledgement); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (phone line); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS; Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (filing threshold); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (U.S. shares); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (treaties); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (U.S. citizens abroad). In effect from January 20, 2026; checked September 30, 2026.
Two assets often surprise families. The RRSP or RRIF is usually the biggest tax bill in an estate, because the whole balance is taxed as income in one year. The family home is usually the smallest, because the principal residence exemption can shelter all of the gain, although it still has to be reported.
How does the deemed disposition at death work?
The CRA treats the person who died as having sold all their capital property just before death, at fair market value. Capital property includes a cottage, rental property, stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, crypto-assets and valuable belongings such as art or jewellery. For each item, the executor subtracts the adjusted cost base (what was paid, plus purchase costs) from the fair market value on the date of death. Half of a net capital gain is taxable, under the current inclusion rate recorded in the capital gains rules.
Worked example. Someone who dies in Ontario owns a non-registered ETF portfolio that cost $80,000 and is worth $200,000 on the date of death, and leaves it to two adult children. The final return reports a capital gain of $120,000, of which $60,000 is added to taxable income. The children each inherit half of the portfolio with a new cost equal to its date-of-death value, so the gain that built up before the death is never taxed twice.
A few rules soften the result:
- Spousal rollover. Property that passes to a surviving spouse or common-law partner resident in Canada, or to a qualifying spousal trust, rolls over at the deceased’s cost with no gain, as long as it vests in them within 36 months of the death. The gain is postponed until the spouse sells or dies. The executor can elect out of the rollover, property by property, on the final return.
- Principal residence. The gain on a home that was the principal residence can be partly or fully exempt, using Schedule 3 and Form T1255 on the final return.
- Capital losses. In the final return and the return for the year before death, net capital losses can reduce any kind of income, not just capital gains.
- Farm and fishing property and small business shares. Special rollovers and the lifetime capital gains deduction may apply; the CRA pages cover these cases.
The capital gains tax calculator shows how a gain like the one above adds to tax for the year, and the income tax calculator shows what a large one-time amount does to the deceased’s tax bracket.
What happens to an RRSP or RRIF when someone dies?
For an RRSP that has not started paying retirement income, the CRA generally considers the person to have received the full fair market value of the plan immediately before death. That amount is income on the final return. A RRIF works the same way: unless an exception applies, the fair market value of everything in the RRIF at death is included in the deceased’s income for the year.
The exceptions follow the spouse:
- Spouse or common-law partner as beneficiary. If all of the RRSP is paid to the surviving spouse and transferred directly to their own RRSP, RRIF, PRPP, SPP or an eligible annuity before the end of the year after the death, no slip is issued in the deceased’s name. The spouse reports the payment and claims an equal deduction, so tax is deferred until they withdraw the money.
- Successor annuitant on a RRIF. If the RRIF contract or will names the spouse to keep receiving payments, the spouse becomes the new annuitant and the RRIF continues. The RRIF guide covers this election in more detail.
- Financially dependent child or grandchild. A child or grandchild who depended on the deceased because of an impairment in physical or mental function can receive an RRSP or RRIF rollover into their RDSP. The RDSP guide and the disability tax credit guide explain the eligibility side.
Worked example. A widowed parent dies with an RRSP worth $250,000, naming an adult child as beneficiary. The financial institution pays the child the full balance, but the final return includes all $250,000 as income, on top of the parent’s pension income for the year. The tax on that income is owed by the estate, even though the money went straight to the child. When the named beneficiary and the heirs under the will are different people, this mismatch can leave the estate short, which is worth raising with a lawyer when the will is drafted.
Unpaid Home Buyers’ Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan balances are also added to income on the final return, unless the surviving spouse elects to keep making the repayments. Locked-in pension money in a LIRA or LIF follows the same death rules as an RRSP or RRIF, with pension-law survivor rights on top; the LIRA guide explains those accounts.
What happens to a TFSA when the holder dies?
A TFSA is the simplest account at death: nothing is reported on the final return. What happens next depends on how the beneficiary was named.
- Successor holder. Only a spouse or common-law partner can be a successor holder, named in the TFSA contract or the will. They become the new holder immediately, and the value at death plus future growth stay tax-sheltered. They do not inherit the deceased’s unused contribution room, and their own room is not used up unless the deceased had an over-contribution.
- Designated beneficiary. Anyone else named, such as a child or a charity, receives the date-of-death value tax-free. Earnings between the death and the payout are taxable to them. A surviving spouse named as beneficiary rather than successor holder can put the money into their own TFSA as an exempt contribution during the rollover period, by filing Form RC240 within 30 days of contributing.
- No beneficiary. The TFSA goes to the estate and is distributed under the will. The date-of-death value is still not taxed, but in Ontario it then counts toward the estate value for probate.
Quebec does not recognize successor holder designations for TFSAs, so Quebec survivors rely on the will and the exempt contribution rules instead. If the deceased had over-contributed, the excess is taxed at 1% per month up to the month of death. The TFSA guide covers how successor holder and beneficiary designations are set up.
How much are probate fees in Ontario and other provinces?
Probate is the court process that confirms the executor’s authority over the estate. Depending on the assets involved, the executor may need it to collect and manage the estate, for example when a financial institution asks for it. Each province sets its own fee, and it is charged on the estate’s value, not on anyone’s income.
How to read this table: Find the province whose court is confirming the will. The fee is paid by the estate when the court application is made. Only these four provinces are shown because each figure comes from that government's own official page.
| Province | What it is called | How the fee is calculated | Value it is charged on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Estate Administration Tax | $0 if the estate is $50,000 or less; otherwise $15 per $1,000 (or part of $1,000) of the value above $50,000 | Value of the estate at death, less mortgages on Ontario real estate; rounded up to the next $1,000 |
| British Columbia | Probate fee | $0 if the estate is $25,000 or less; $6 per $1,000 (or part) from $25,000 to $50,000, plus $14 per $1,000 (or part) above $50,000 | Gross value of property passing to the executor: real and tangible property in B.C., plus intangible property anywhere if the deceased lived in B.C.; court filing fees are extra |
| Alberta | Surrogate court fee | Flat fee from $35 up to a maximum of $525 (estates over $250,000) | Net value of property in Alberta |
| Manitoba | Probate fee | None — eliminated as of November 6, 2020 | Not applicable |
Source: Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (when the tax applies); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (no certificate, no tax); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (exempt threshold); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (rate); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (rounding); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (worked example); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (worked example result); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (assets not included); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (joint ownership); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (insurance to a named beneficiary); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (mortgages deductible, other debts not); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (Estate Information Return); Probate Fee Act, section 2 — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 1 (value of the estate) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 2(1) (court fees extra) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 2(3) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act — BC Laws (currency); Court fees — Alberta.ca (surrogate matters); Court fees — Alberta.ca (fee bands); Manitoba Government Announces Tax Changes Coming in 2021 — news.gov.mb.ca. In effect from November 6, 2020; checked September 30, 2026.
Alberta charges a flat fee by band, based on the net value of property in Alberta:
How to read this table: Find the band that holds the net value of the deceased's property in Alberta. The fee does not grow beyond the top band.
| Net value of property in Alberta | Fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $35 |
| Over $10,000 to $25,000 | $135 |
| Over $25,000 to $125,000 | $275 |
| Over $125,000 to $250,000 | $400 |
| Over $250,000 | $525 |
Source: Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (when the tax applies); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (no certificate, no tax); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (exempt threshold); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (rate); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (rounding); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (worked example); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (worked example result); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (assets not included); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (joint ownership); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (insurance to a named beneficiary); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (mortgages deductible, other debts not); Estate Administration Tax — ontario.ca (Estate Information Return); Probate Fee Act, section 2 — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 1 (value of the estate) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 2(1) (court fees extra) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act, section 2(3) — BC Laws; Probate Fee Act — BC Laws (currency); Court fees — Alberta.ca (surrogate matters); Court fees — Alberta.ca (fee bands); Manitoba Government Announces Tax Changes Coming in 2021 — news.gov.mb.ca. In effect from November 6, 2020; checked September 30, 2026.
Worked example: the same estate in four provinces. Take an estate that goes through probate with a value of $600,000 (for simplicity, the same figure under each province’s valuation rules):
- Ontario: $8,250 of Estate Administration Tax.
- British Columbia: $7,850, plus court filing fees.
- Alberta: $525, the top band.
- Manitoba: $0, because Manitoba eliminated probate fees in 2020.
What counts toward Ontario’s Estate Administration Tax?
Ontario’s tax applies only if an estate certificate (formerly “letters probate”) is applied for and issued; no certificate, no tax. When it applies, the value includes Ontario real estate less its mortgage, bank accounts, investments, vehicles and other property. It excludes real estate outside Ontario, assets held in joint tenancy that pass to the surviving owner, life insurance paid to a named beneficiary, the CPP death benefit, and RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs and pension plans with a named beneficiary. Debts other than mortgages, funeral costs and legal fees cannot be deducted. After the certificate is issued, the executor must file an Estate Information Return with the Ministry of Finance within 180 calendar days, even when the tax is $0.
Named beneficiaries and joint ownership are the usual ways families keep assets out of probate, but they carry their own risks, from exposing an account to a co-owner’s creditors to the RRSP tax mismatch described above. A will prepared with those trade-offs in mind is the starting point; the online will comparison covers lower-cost options for simple estates.
Is there a gift tax in Canada?
No. Canada has no gift tax, and the person who receives a gift does not report it. The rules that matter are on the giver’s side:
- Cash gifts are not taxed when they are given or received.
- Gifts of capital property, such as shares, an ETF, a cottage or a rental, are treated as a sale at fair market value on the day of the gift. The giver reports any capital gain that year, and the receiver’s cost becomes that fair market value.
- Gifts to a spouse or common-law partner generally transfer at the giver’s cost with no gain, but if the spouse later sells during the giver’s lifetime, the gain is usually reported by the giver.
So giving a cottage to the children while alive does not avoid the tax; it moves the deemed sale from the final return to the year of the gift.
When is the final tax return due for someone who died?
The deadline depends on the date of death. The table covers the returns and time limits executors most often need.
How to read this table: Find the situation in the first column. Where a deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, the CRA accepts the return on the next business day. The spousal rows are deadlines for tax-deferred transfers, not filing dates.
| Return or deadline | Due | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Final T1 return — death January 1 to October 31 | April 30 of the year after the death | Filing and payment due date |
| Final T1 return — death November 1 to December 31 | 6 months after the date of death (same calendar day) | Filing and payment due date |
| Final T1 return — deceased or spouse was self-employed, death January 1 to December 15 | June 15 of the year after the death | Filing only; any balance owing is still due on the normal payment date |
| Final T1 return — deceased or spouse was self-employed, death December 16 to 31 | 6 months after the date of death (same calendar day) | Filing only |
| Previous year's return, if the person died before filing it (death on or before its due date) | 6 months after the date of death (same calendar day) | Filing and payment due date for that earlier return |
| Return for Rights or Things (optional) | Later of 1 year after death or 90 days after the final return's notice of assessment | Balance owing is due by the final return's payment date |
| Estate T3 return | 90 days after the trust's tax year-end (or final distribution) | A graduated rate estate can pick a first year-end up to 1 year after death |
| Spousal rollover of capital property | Property must vest in the spouse or spousal trust within 36 months of death | Otherwise the gain is reported on the final return |
| RRSP or RRIF transfer to a surviving spouse | By the end of the year after the year of death | Direct transfer to the spouse's RRSP, RRIF, PRPP, SPP or an eligible annuity |
Source: Amounts that are not reported or taxed — Canada.ca; Amounts that are not reported or taxed — Canada.ca (income earned afterwards); What returns you need to file — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; What returns you need to file — Canada.ca (T3 return for the estate); What returns you need to file — Canada.ca (optional returns); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (deemed disposition); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (spousal rollover, 36 months); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (principal residence); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (net capital losses in the final return); Taxable capital gains on property, investments, and belongings — Canada.ca (sale by a beneficiary); Special rules and other transactions — Canada.ca (property you inherit); Special rules and other transactions — Canada.ca (property you receive as a gift); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (gifts); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (gifts to a spouse); Transfers of capital property — Canada.ca (attribution on a spouse's sale); Filing and payment due dates — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (final return); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (death in November or December); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (self-employed); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (T3 return); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (previous year's return not yet filed); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (late-filing penalty); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (graduated rate estate); Filing and payment due dates — Canada.ca (deferring payment); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (unmatured RRSP); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (spouse rollover); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (RDSP rollover); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (Home Buyers' Plan balance); RRSP — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (spousal RRSP contributions after death); RRIF — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; RRIF — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (successor annuitant); TFSA — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca; If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca; If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (contribution room); If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (Quebec); If you are a successor holder of a TFSA — Canada.ca (excess amount tax); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (tax-free up to FMV); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (earnings after death); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (exempt contribution); If you are a designated beneficiary of a TFSA — Canada.ca (non-survivor beneficiaries); What happens when a TFSA holder dies — Canada.ca (no beneficiary); Doing taxes for someone who died — Canada.ca (CPP/QPP death benefit); Death benefits — Doing taxes for someone who died, Canada.ca (employer death benefit exemption); Death benefits — Canada.ca (CPP death benefit not on the final return); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (why); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (processing times); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (acknowledgement); Apply for a clearance certificate — Canada.ca (phone line); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS; Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (filing threshold); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (U.S. shares); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (treaties); Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns — IRS (U.S. citizens abroad). In effect from January 20, 2026; checked September 30, 2026.
A late final return with a balance owing costs a penalty of 5% of the balance, plus 1% for each full month late (to a maximum of 12 months), plus interest. Filing on time avoids the penalty even if the estate cannot pay yet. When the deemed disposition creates a large bill before assets can be sold, the executor can delay paying the part of the tax that comes from the deemed disposition (or from a Return for Rights or Things) by giving the CRA acceptable security and filing Form T2075, although interest still applies. The general tax deadline guide covers the normal filing dates for the surviving family’s own returns.
Up to three optional returns, such as the Return for Rights or Things, can report certain income separately and claim some credits a second time, which can lower the total tax.
Who pays the tax, and when can the estate be shared out?
The estate pays. The executor (the CRA’s “legal representative”) files the returns and pays the balance from the estate before distributing assets. To protect themselves, executors usually ask the CRA for a clearance certificate with Form TX19 after all returns are assessed and paid. Without one, an executor who distributes assets while tax is still owing can be personally liable, up to the value distributed.
The CRA acknowledges a clearance certificate request within 45 days, and the assessment can take up to 120 days once all documents are in. Many executors hold back a reserve for tax and pay out the rest in stages. For clearance questions on individual or estate accounts, the CRA’s line is 1-800-959-8281.
Some death-related payments are handled differently from the rest of the estate. The CPP or QPP death benefit, a one-time payment of up to $2,500, is not reported on the final return; it is generally reported by the estate on its T3 return, or by the beneficiary who receives it. The CPP death benefit guide explains who can apply. A death benefit from an employer is tax-free up to $10,000 in total, across all employers and recipients.
Do Canadians pay U.S. estate tax on U.S. stocks?
They can. Canada has no estate tax, but the United States taxes the U.S.-situated assets of non-residents who are not U.S. citizens when they die. The IRS lists shares of U.S. corporations as U.S.-situated even when they are held abroad, so U.S. stocks held directly in a Canadian brokerage account can count. The executor must file Form 706-NA if the fair market value of U.S.-situated assets at death was more than US$60,000.
The IRS notes that estate tax treaties often give non-residents more favourable treatment by limiting which assets count as U.S.-situated, and Canada has such a treaty with the United States. U.S. citizens living in Canada face U.S. estate tax on their worldwide assets instead. Both cases call for a cross-border tax professional.
Common mistakes with tax at death
- Assuming the heirs owe the tax. The estate owes it, and it has to be paid before distribution. An heir who receives an RRSP directly as named beneficiary can still see the estate’s tax bill cut into the shares of other heirs.
- Forgetting the RRSP or RRIF is fully taxable. A large registered plan left to children can be taxed at the top marginal rate in the year of death. Planning the order of withdrawals while alive, covered in the retirement income planning guide, can soften this.
- Distributing before the clearance certificate. It exposes the executor personally if the CRA later reassesses.
- Not naming a TFSA successor holder. A spouse named only in the will as beneficiary still gets the value tax-free, but loses the simple takeover, and the account may add to probate in Ontario.
- Missing the principal residence designation. Even a fully exempt home must be reported on Schedule 3 with Form T1255.
- Ignoring U.S. shares. Directly held U.S. stocks can trigger a U.S. estate tax return even when no Canadian estate tax exists.
What can you do with money you inherit?
Once the estate has paid its taxes and the executor distributes the assets, the inheritance is yours, and only what it earns from then on is taxed. A TFSA is one common place to hold inherited savings, because growth inside it is tax-free. The limit is your own available contribution room: a child or other non-spouse beneficiary can contribute an inheritance only up to their room, while a surviving spouse can use the exempt contribution rule for TFSA money they inherit. If you are opening or consolidating a TFSA to hold inherited savings, Wealthsimple's TFSA is one option to compare with your bank’s account.
What changes next?
- Every January: the CRA updates return packages and the income tax brackets that apply to a final return, and the TFSA and RRSP dollar limits for survivors’ own accounts are set for the new year.
- Probate fees: these change only by provincial legislation or regulation. Ontario last changed its rate structure for estate certificate applications on or after January 1, 2020, and Manitoba eliminated its fees in 2020. This page is checked against the official provincial pages every 90 days.
- Capital gains inclusion rate: the proposed increase to two-thirds on an individual’s gains above $250,000 a year was announced as cancelled in March 2025, so the one-half rate still applies to gains on the final return. Any future change would be announced in a federal budget.
When a death is recent, the practical order is: notify the CRA, gather the account statements and cost records, apply for probate if the institutions require it, file the final return on time, then request the clearance certificate before distributing.